2011 in review + Cern | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/series/2011-in-review+science/cern
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Science review of 2011: the year's 10 biggest storieshttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/dec/18/science-discoveries-review-2011
Neutrino particles appeared to prove Einstein wrong by travelling faster than light, while the discovery of an Earth-like planet raised hopes of finding life on another world<br /><br /><em><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2011/dec/18/science-2011-in-pictures">Triumphs, disasters and climaxes – 2011 science in pictures</a></em><p>Or at least that is what George Osborne hopes. After two Manchester University scientists, Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim, won the 2010 Nobel prize for physics for their graphene research, the chancellor announced in the autumn that Britain would be investing &pound;50m in setting up a national research programme into the substance. Graphene – a sheet of carbon atoms one atom thick – could be used to make everything from touchscreens to plastics cheaper and more efficient, say scientists, though such developments may take decades to achieve.<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/nov/13/graphene-research-novoselov-geim-manchester" title=""> Certainly much has been made of its potential</a>. According to research carried out by James Hone of Columbia University, graphene is the strongest material ever measured, some 200 times stronger than structural steel. &quot;It would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of cling film,&quot; he told the BBC. However, it is the versatility of graphene – a possible source for composite materials, electronic components and other goods – that causes the excitement. As Geim says: &quot;It is not even one material. It is a huge range of materials.&quot; Hence the billions that IBM, Samsung and Nokia are putting into graphene research, a commitment that puts Osborne's &pound;50m investment into perspective.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/dec/18/science-discoveries-review-2011">Continue reading...</a>ScienceParticle physicsCernEvolutionNeuroscienceNobel prizesStem cellsMedical researchMarsArchaeopteryxDinosaursFossilsZoologySpaceBiologyPhysicsClimate changeSat, 17 Dec 2011 19:04:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/dec/18/science-discoveries-review-2011ReutersAn artist’s impression of Curiosity, Nasa’s Mars-bound science lab, as it analyses Martian rock. Photograph: ReutersReutersAn artist’s impression of Curiosity, Nasa’s Mars-bound science lab, as it analyses Martian rock. Photograph: ReutersRobin McKie2011-12-17T19:04:09Z